Onward Willow Neighbourhood Group Centre will remain closed next week from Monday March 4th through Tuesday March 15th due to unforeseen circumstances. We anticipate opening back up as soon as possible. We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. Please reach out to admin@guelphneighbourhoods.org for more information. To make an appointment to visit the clothing cupboard, or any of the centre’s services, please reach out to onwardwillownsw@gmail.com. Unfortunately, we’re unable to accept any donations during this time without an appointment. If you require a food hamper, some additional options include Hope House, Chalmers United downtown, and The Salvation Army on York Road. We look forward to seeing you upon reopening!

A huge thank-you to ETFO (Elementary Teacher’s Federation of Ontario) and to ETFO Local for selecting Onward Willow Neighbourhood Group as a funding recipient to support anti-poverty work in Guelph and for the special funding bonus from our local ETFO. What a great surprise! We’re so grateful for the support!

Thank-you to all who thought of us over the holiday season and arrived with warm clothing, food, and other household goods! Please know you brightened the season for so many. As many of you know, we operate our centre out of a townhouse and have limited space. Due to our community’s generosity, we are operating at full capacity. Currently we are accepting the following donations during business hours only — Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri 10am-4pm:

Furniture: due to space constraints, we cannot accept large furniture onsite and we do not have a vehicle large enough to move large items. If you have large furniture you wish to donate, please call us at 519-824-6892 or e-mail onwardwillownsw@gmail.com. We can check our Wish List to see if the item is needed, and connect you directly with the community member in need for delivery.

Clothing in good used condition — most needed includes ladies plus sizes, men’s & youth clothing & kid’s indoor shoes in good shape

The Onward Willow Homework Club (OWHC) is looking for volunteers to join their tutoring team!

OWHC is a weekly club (Thursday’s 5:30-7:00 at Willow Public School) that pairs tutors with underprivileged youth in the Willow area of Guelph. Kids range from grade 4 to high school . We also provide a healthy snack, and game time after tutoring. No past tutoring experience required!

We have two types of volunteer opportunities available:

Volunteer Coordinator

Working alongside the program coordinator, the volunteer coordinator will help to recruit, train and organize volunteers for club. You will also help to run the snack program.

Qualifications:

available Thursday nights during club

Commit to 2-3 hours a week of volunteering (includes club night)

Access to internet and email to keep in touch with volunteers

Excellent organization and communication skills

No past formal training required (you will be trained by program coordinator)

Priority given to coordinators that can commit to full year

Clean vulnerable sector check

Training will begin mid September

Volunteer tutor

Help teach kids basic math, English, reading and writing! Enjoy your time shaping the minds of the future!

Qualifications include:

patience to work with students whose second language is English

Excellent oral and communication skills

Ability to commit to every Thursday (we need tutors who are consistent)

Clean vulnerable sector check

Training will begin end of September

If you would like to join our team, please email the program coordinator Liz Vardon at owhomeworkclub@gmail.com and state what type of volunteer position you are interested in

Hello Friends! Cleaning out your closets? Onward Willow is seeking fall clothing donations for kids, men, women, and plus sizes. We’re also starting to collect winter boots and warm fall and winter jackets. Please visit us at 15 Willow Rd, Unit K45 Mon & Wed-Fri 10am-4pm or give us a ring! Also, please note that our clothing closet is accessible to all residents across Guelph. We also accept household goods year-round for those of you who are downsizing including kitchen items, decor, toys, sports equipment and more.

Come join the community for a fun charity BBQ in support of Onward Willow! We’ll be starting the fun at 1pm and serving up grilled hamburgers and hotdogs until 4pm. We’ve got a small supply of garden plants for the kids to plant along with activities and treats!

It has been brought to our attention that some of our community members have been refused by public transit if they have a stroller, or too many bags. This is very upsetting to us as we know that public transit may be the only option for some of our families to use emergency food and other resources. If you have had an issue with this we would like to hear from you. Please contact Susie at onwardwillownsw@gmail.com or FB message us.

Please note: the clothing room is open:
Mon-11am to 3pm
Wed-11am to 3pm
Fridays-11am to 3pm

DONATIONS:
Donations are always welcomed & appreciated! They can be dropped off Mon-Wed-Fr 10am-3pm. For after hours and weekend donation drop off's please make arrangements with the Neighbourhood Support Worker: onwardwillownsw@gmail.com